Thunderbolts: Rogues
by AngmarBucket
Summary: The original Thunderbolts were villains who became heroes. There have been many teams over the years, but the cast-off baron Zemo is back and ready to reclaim them. And this time, they will answer to no one.


In a dark bog far from human settlement, something neither man nor monster stalked between the gnarled and mossy trees. With each step it squelched against the wet earth as its hulking form of deteriorating vegetation, clay, and vein-like branches stumbled through the low fog. Its limbs did not catch on any branches or trip over sunken obstacles. Where there was no space to move, it simply squeezed effortlessly between whatever blocked its path. Its globular red eyes, too large and round to betray any real malice, took in the darkness with ease as it prowled its new home, already growing used to the moist terrain.

He was called the Man-Thing by some, and the Vorgonus Koth by a very select few.

Taking in the larger trees which might offer some degree of shelter, he felt strange heat at his back. He turned around quickly, automatically envisioning a scalding fire erupting toward him, but instead saw a bright cloud or some other formation of light. In the cloud something hit the ground; a human form, bristling with weapons (all of which would be useless against a creature such as the Vorgonus Koth), and wearing a mask of dark magenta. His black clothing fell in graceful folds around his legs, but the person was male. A golden diadem encircling his head reflected the light that had transported him into the bog. As the brightness faded, it left behind a floating gem which hovered over the man's shoulder and glowed white-hot at its core.

The man reached out a hand toward the Vorgonus Koth. "You, creature!" he called out.

The gemstone was humming some sort of warbling infrasonic frequency, which felt achingly familiar as they broke against the Vorgonus Koth's form. Instinctively, the Man-Thing stepped toward him.

The man said, "Halt!" He stood firm, with an amusingly regal bearing. The Vorgonus Koth was a creature of tremendous ancient power, yet this man held himself up as if he were demigod. There was something familiar about him, too-but whatever it was the Vorgonus Koth sensed, it was blocked from him, or diluted by something else.

Almost politely, the Vorgonus Koth ceased his approach. His eyes remained on the gemstone, however, for it was tantalizingly familiar to him.

"Yes," the man said as he slowly stepped forward, "you. I require your unique abilities. In return, I will grant your simple heart's desire, if you have the mind to desire anything."

Of course I have desires, thought the Vorgonus Koth. He was about to say so, but already the stranger was summoning his gemstone again.

"Can you feel, it, monster?" he asked. "Can you hear it?" And then the gemstone was glowing so brightly the Vorgonus Koth drew back. But already he sensed the energies of the gemstone working inside him. It was as if he were being seized. His body's own natural magical properties welled up inside of him.

No! though the Vorgonus Koth. I will not be used like a tool again. Not now that I am free. He struggled against the stone's influence, but its grip was vice-like. The man only held up his hand, which seemed to lift the gemstone higher into the air. The Vorgonus Koth felt from the stranger only a vague sort of cruel amusement.

"Take me to Blackbridge," the stranger told him. "Now."

The Vorgonus Koth tried to resist. He detected in the stranger's mind an isolated place, with misery and people curled against themselves. He didn't want to go there. The man grunted in surprise, and then the bog was gone-they were deposited, the man stumbling and falling onto a hard, rocky surface. Dry, cold air touched the Man-Thing's wet body. He saw nothing but desert, and a dark building surrounded by guard towers and barbed wire off on the distance, lit by a halo of lights.

The man rose to his feet sharply; his blue eyes penetrated the Vorgonus Koth from behind his mask. "Stronger than I anticipated," the man said. "And more disobedient than I was led to believe. But you are still harmless-I don't fear you. And we're close enough."

The Vorgonus Koth looked toward the building and had to suppress the boding he felt as he stared at its silhouette. "Wo sind wir?" he demanded. Though his odd kidnapper had spoke to him only in English, he instinctively knew the man's other language-he spoke to everyone as their thoughts dictated.

He was a little pleased to see the man's bright, cold eyes pop wide open. Then they narrowed in a vicious sort of pleasure. The amusement emanated from him again as he strode forward. "So," he said, "Sie sprechen Deutsch!"

"Ja," he said disdainfully. "Wo sind wir? Und…wer sind Sie?"

The cruel man laughed. "Blackbridge Prison. Ich heisse Helmut, Freiherr Zemo-"

At the name, the Vorgonus Koth hissed; this time he did pull back. "Helmut Zemo!" he said

Or Baron Zemo, as some of his former teammates had called him when they'd mentioned him in passing.

"Mein Ruf eilt mir voraus?" Now the man was really amused.

"Helmut Zemo," he repeated. "I do know of you… I have even sensed your presence, in my friends' dreams, and their nightmares."

"Is that so? You have nothing to fear from me, monster. I am not here to harm you. Rather, I am here to help you. I trust you will help me?"

"Doch," the Man-Thing said. "I am no one's teleportation device. I think for myself, now."

"A pity." Baron Zemo held up the orb. "But you have no choice. I wield this gemstone, a very powerful artifact, and I can manipulate its transportation abilities with your own inherent powers. You are almost like a second gemstone to me and will work as one with or without your permission. But your cooperation will be rewarded."

"Will you grant the 'simple' desire of my heart?"

Zemo paused, then shrugged a shoulder. "The information I was given about you by the Fixer was out of date. Or he intentionally misinformed me about your intelligence."

"The Fixer?"

"Yes. Is your interest piqued now? If so, let's not delay any longer. We were supposed to be transported into the prison, not outside."

"Fixer?" The Fixer was dead.

"Yes. He told me about you. Now let's go."

The Vorgonus Koth could have resisted further. But he didn't. He wanted to know how-why-the Fixer was talking to this man, when all the former Thunderbolts had despised him. What if the Fixer was still alive-somehow-and had gone back to the Baron for safety? What if the others were with the baron as well?

For answers, he would play along. He wasn't afraid of the Baron, no matter what gemstone the man wielded. "I will go with you. But I will not come along on your leash. I will follow the energies of your gemstone the rest of the way in."

"Fine," said the Baron. "But I expect you to behave yourself."

The Vorgonus Koth decided right then: he did not like this Baron Zemo.

They teleported into the prison. The Vorgonus Koth looked around to find the both of them standing in the center of a two-level cell block that rose up around them. Immediately, they were greeted by chaos-men in orange jumpsuits yelling, pounding on the walls. The frenzy and excitement and anger swept over the Vorgonus Koth in waves.

He detected fear as well. His flesh hissed of its own accord as its acid began to bleed from the surface of his body. He hated fear; detested it. It made him feel afraid, just as the other heady emotions here swelled up inside of him and threatened to carry him along.

Apparently Zemo detected his acidic reaction. "Control yourself," he said.

Then he strode to the center of the block in which they stood and announced, "I am Helmut, Thirteenth Baron Zemo. I have come to free some of you-those of you who are worthy. In return, you will pledge allegiance to me and join me in the pursuit of a grand destiny, which will bring you the justice and the revenge you crave."

"Freeze!"

The Vorgonus Koth felt a bullet-or something like it-hit his back. He turned to see the prison guards assembled behind them. Zemo wasn't concerned. His gemstone merely shoved the guards back as it pitched a sort of field around them. He barely looked at the guards as they were dealt with.

The Vorgonus Koth had seen authority types before, and had less-than-pleasant encounters with them. He did not despise, them, but he had no love for them, either. Anyway, Zemo hadn't hurt them.

They fired their weapons at the barrier, only to regret it when the bullets ricocheted. The Vorgonus Koth didn't continue to watch, though he heard terrified shouts. He did not want to take his offs off Zemo, and whatever he was planning to do. The Vorgonus Koth had his suspicions, but he could easily be wrong.

The Baron approached the cell of a man on the ground level. Apparently he had been playing video games when they dropped in, for his television was on and he had dropped his controller. Now the man was leaning against the grass, looking at Zemo warily, but with hope the Vorgonus Koth could sense easily. As far as the Vorgonus Koth was concerned the man was utterly ordinary-brown hair, brown eyes. Middle aged or close to it. He looked like many other humans.

"You're the Taskmaster," Zemo said as he stopped in front of the cell.

"Yeah," said the man.

"Do you accept my terms?"

The Taskmaster put his hands to the glass and smiled. "You already know I will," he said. The Vorgonus felt this Taskmaster's excitement radiating from his prison cell in huge waves.

With a glow of the baron's gem, the Taskmaster was transported out of his cell-and his orange jumpsuit had been somehow replaced with a skull-like mask, a tunic and flowing cape, and many weapons including a sword similar to the baron's own.

"Shocker," Zemo said, pointing to another cell on the ground floor with another man who looked, as far as humans went, almost exactly like the Taskmaster without his special clothes. Then Zemo indicated another cell, where an old, frail man sat on his cot, quietly watching them. "And…Ghost."

The Vorgonus Koth knew the Ghost as a white-garbed, technological genius, with comfortingly round goggle eyes and an all-concealing mask. He barely recognized this ragged individual. Ghost stared back at him as the Vorgonus Koth walked up to the glass. His old friend's hope, gratitude, fear-they seemed to mingle with his own feelings.

"I barely know who you are," the Shocker said. "But I want out of here. I'm in."

"I suppose I have no choice," said the Ghost. "And I see you've gotten the Man-Thing."

Both of them were teleported out, now in their own more characteristic costumes. The Vorgonus Koth looked at the Shocker's insulated yellow clothing carefully, trying to deduce his specific power set. He felt he had heard about the Shocker before; perhaps when they were on the run?

To the Ghost he said, "It is good to see you again, my friend."

"Same to you." His voice was now characterized by a mechanized crackle; much more familiar to the Vorgonus Koth's external sensory network. "Just like old times, isn't it, working for the Man."

"Hardly," Zemo said. "But you'll see soon enough." Turning to the Vorgonus Koth, he said, "We have one more stop to make. I promised you would be rewarded for your help."

"Ich nehme an…" I suppose so… He hadn't expected to be paid back so quickly, especially not from someone as conniving as this Zemo.

"Follow me and my gemstone," Zemo said. "Bring our new allies with you."

The prison guards still struggled to force their way into the protective bubble as Zemo teleported once more. The Vorgonus Koth followed his energy trail into the dissipation, allowing the energy of the gem and his own body's natural magics to sweep the freed men up in his wake. He didn't think to warn them about the spacial shift as they left; the Shocker and Taskmaster yelled out before their voices were cut off by the rift. Ghost at least knew better and endured the whole process without complaint.

Supposedly, humans felt as if they were being taken apart and reconstituted as they went from one place to another, or that they were being overtaken by the energies that underlie the universe. He had heard several primitive interpretations from his former teammates. The Vorgonus Koth felt only natural movement from one part of reality to another; it was no different than walking, to him

There was brightness again as they all converged onto an empty corridor, a gloomy one with thick metal doors lined along the gray reinforced walls.

The Shocker swore as they arrived. "That was like something out of Star Trek!"

"Where are we?" the Taskmaster demanded. "This ain't looking like freedom, Zemo!"

"Be quiet," Zemo said. "There is one more inmate we must release."

"Ah, yes!" the Ghost said. "I was hoping."

"Who?" the Vorgonus Koth demanded.

As Zemo's gemstone again illuminated the corridor, a burst of white-hot light around one of the doors appeared, as if the room were filled with a miniature sun. The smell of burning followed. Zemo stepped up to the door, and kicked it in. The smoking metal slab hit the floor inside with a heavy, adamantium clash that resounded in the corridor and made the rest of the humans present cringe in physical pain.

"Wer ist?" he repeated as he followed behind Zemo into the cell. But already, he could sense her. He had to squeeze through the door frame and came out the other side slightly grazed, a whole layer of slime gone from his shoulders.

She lie on a simple cot in the small, mostly empty room. Like the others before their escape, she was dressed in an orange jumpsuit. Her pale blond hair had been tied back, save for a few loose strands. Propped up on one elbow, frozen in place, she looked as though she had been woken by the door falling inward. The Vorgonus Koth could almost hear her heart beating wildly as her eyes took them in.

As she pushed herself up into a sitting position, her eyes glaring as she recognized Zemo, he saw a metallic band around her neck. Instantly he knew its purpose was vile.

"Moonstone," the Vorgonus Koth said. He moved toward her bedside, pushing passed Zemo. "My friend! What have they done to you?"

Moonstone just smiled up into his eyes. "Me and Ghost got a little unlucky. Not a big deal."

"If I had known I would have come for you sooner," he said. Why were the forceful people always intent to hurt his friends?

"You're very kind," she said. She looked around him toward Zemo. "I see you're with bad company these days."

"He is the one who came to me. I do not trust him, but-"

"This beast is a little too eloquent," Zemo said. "There's no time to catch up now. We need to leave."

Moonstone didn't move. "Why should I go with you this time? Is there a Thunderbolts reunion I don't know about?"

"In a manner of speaking," Zemo said.

More Thunderbolts? the Vorgonus Koth thought. Now he was really curious if this Zemo knew something about Fixer that he didn't.

She sat back. "What do you want this time, Helmut?"

"What you always want."

"Power or revenge?" Moonstone leaned against the wall. "It's always the same with you."

"It's not that simple and you know it," he said. "And the Thunderbolts have been without proper focus for some time, Karla," he said. "But I am ready to rescue the team, as I have been aching to do for some time now. And things are right at last to do so. Are you truly going to stay here instead of take advantage of what I'm offering you?"

"Hey!" Taskmaster called from outside the cell. "More goons are coming, baron."

"Then take care of them," Zemo said, an edge of annoyance to his voice.

"Whatever."

The Vorgonus Koth heard the sound of metal sliding against metal, and the clicking of guns. Then shooting, and men yelling.

Zemo just held his hand out to Karla. "I will remake the Thunderbolts. And we'll do things right this time. You're either with us now, or against us later."

"Oh, of course I'm with you," Moonstone snapped. She pushed off the cot and stood up. "But it better be worth it. Or I'll make my Man-Thing here mop the floor with you."

"Oh, is he your pet, then? I had no idea the love between you was mutual."

Anything she would have said next was cut off by more gunfire. The Vorgonus Koth heard the Ghost curse and then there was a scream he didn't recognize.

"Well?" Moonstone said. "Get this collar off me."

"As you wish."

The collar sparked slightly, then clicked. Moonstone ripped it off and threw it to the floor. Almost immediately she changed: her hair gleamed brighter, and she summoned one of her sleek flight suits without aid of Zemo's gemstone, which clung to her like ivory flesh. A confident smile came to her face and she forced the heel of her new boot down hard upon the collar. It shattered under the return of her powers.

"Also," she said, "I expect to hear where you got that stone, Helmut. Last time I check, I had the only two moonstones."

Ah! thought the Vorgonus Koth. Yes, that is why it feels familiar. It is a replica of Moonstone's powers. But then why is it outside of his body like that?

"Of course," Zemo said. "I'll tell you everything."

"We are going now?" the Vorgonus Koth asked.

"Of course," said Moonstone. "Grab the boys and we'll go to whatever castle Helmut has prepared for us."

"Not exactly a castle." Zemo projected portals for the men outside. The Vorgonus Koth didn't recognize the feel of their destination, but no, it was not a castle; it was nothing like a castle.

"Are we doing the Star Trek thing again?" he heard the Shocker say.

And then they were gone.

(tbc)


End file.
